You know what is really annoying freebingohunter at the moment?  Online bingo websites that advertise great offers all over the place without making it clear about who can claim the bingo bonus. One bingo brand might being offering a sign up bonus to all it's new players and unknown to bingo players even although they have never played at the advertising online bingo site they might not qualify for the bonus--does that sound like fair advertising to you?  For example, let's say you are a member of bingo site A and you have played there for a few months with no problems. One day you see an advert for a new bingo site, site B, and you think that it's a great offer so you'll go try it out.  You get to the new bingo site B and go all the way through the registration process and register your bank card, only to discover that the new bingo site is saying that you are "already a member" because that bank card and email address are already registered.

So you're sitting their thinking what the heck has someone cloned my details and signed me up on this new bingo site that I have never been to before in my life?  Well what has actually happened is that, probably unkown to you, you have been playing at Bingo site A which is part of the same bingo network as the new bingo site B and therefore they don't consider you a new player because you already play bingo in their network.  

It doesn't seem very fair to freebingohunter that the bingo sites can advertise a free bingo sign up offer and not make it clear that many existing bingo players playing at other bingo sites can't actually qualify for the bonus.  I've got no problem with bingo sites not giving out bonuses twice to the same customers, and indeed there are lots of folks who do their best to abuse them, but surely bingo sites could be more upfront about which sites members qualify and which don't.  The worst thing about this is not so much that bingo players don't get the bonus, it's that they have to waste their time going through the bingo registration process before discovering that they don't qualify.  So come on online bingo sites--smarten up your website copy so it's clear who qualifies and you don't waste bingo players time--I don't think that's too much to ask.

Holy moly and smoke me a free bingo kipper! Those kill joys at the UK Advertising Standards Authority have banned Tombola Bingo's TV ads.  Yes that's right, not content with banning adverts for Inter Casino, Ladbrokes and Williamhill Bingo, the ASA seems to be intent on making sure that gambling adverts are put under the highest scrutiny. Far be it from free bingo hunter to try and tell the ASA how to do its job but I am inclined to think that there is a lack of consistency in its approach to the banning of TV ads.  For a start Tombola Bingo's tv ads have been running since last summer so where have they been up till now?  During the time that Tombola's bingo ads have been on tv there have been lots of gambling and bingo tv ads being produced and some of them are certainly as cartoony or as appealing to children, yet they haven't been banned yet!I really think that the ASA is missing the point on this one. Tombola bingo is one of the few true "bingo" sites in the UK at the moment. Its doesn't offer slot machines or ways for bingo players to gamble which are not in the spirit of multiplayer bingo.

Now i'm not saying that mini-games and slot machines are wrong, far from it in fact.  What I am saying is that the bingo adverts the ASA should really worry about are the ones that are a blatant attempt to flout the rules around the advertising of hard gaming before the watershed.  I really think the big worry for online bingo sites is that the TV adverts end up getting pushed to being after the watershed which would be a real shame for everyone.

Anyway power to the people and here is my 1 man banner protest against the banning of TV online bingo ads--look out for me climbing up Big Ben as well!

Man if there is one thing that gets my goat it's online bingo promotions which are virtually impossible to understand.  You know what I'm talking about, those bingo promotions where you have to do X Y and Z to qualify for A and there is also normally a long list of terms and conditions that you have to comply with to make sure you qualify. Increasingly online bingo sites also have this annoying habit of running promotions that last weeks--by the end of them bingo players can't remember why they originally took part in the promotion and we all lose interest.  Why don't online bingo sites get it? Do they think it's smart to give bingo players a massive list of conditions that they have to comply with to take part in the promotion, I always thought the idea was to get people playing more bingo no putting them off by having them fall foul of terms and conditions that nobody reads. The best online bingo promotions are those that don't have terms and conditions anyway!  Why? Because promotions which are well thought out and well communicated don't need a list of Terms and Conditions, as everyone understands how they work.

 If fbh has to read the details of a promotion on a bingo website 3 or 4 times just to understand how it works--then it's kinda not really a promotion anymore is it? In fact I'm normally left feeling that the bingo site should give a prize to any bingo player who can understand how their super complicated bingo promotion works.  Playing bingo is supposed to be a leisure activity and therefore bingo players (and fbh) don't appreciate having to put maximum effort into understanding bingo promotions.  And while I'm on my super rant I'd also like to suggest that bingo promotions managers out there get their thinking caps on quit coming up with monthly promotions which consist entirely of boring prize draws--yet another spa day to be won--whoopee.   

In the old days, before freebingohunters could play bingo online, bingo players satisfied themselves with playing bingo in their local bingo club.  Playing bingo in clubs has always been very different to playing bingo online, not least because paper bingo in a club requires a small element of skill to keep up with the game.  How many times in bingo clubs have people missed out on a big jackpot because they forgot to shout "Bingo" before the next number was called?  Or how many players have found that when they did call bingo they were playing on a different coloured page from everyone else in the bingo club? Probably loads! In fbh's days in bingo clubs, mangers were always spending time consoling bingo players who had fallen foul of the strict rules of uk club bingo. Right up until the 1980s lots of bingo clubs had house rules that said if you make an incorrect claim on a bingo game you lose your bingo tickets for the next games. This rule, whilst harsh, made sure that bingo players always concentrated when they were playing and made sure that they didn't claim incorrectly.  Of course there was also a certain amount of excitement generated in a club (and even enjoyment) by a bingo player losing their tickets as a punishment for not keeping up! 

So this got fbh wondering if there is any behaviour in online bingo which deserves to be punished?  There are lots of rules in online bingo about what you can and can't say in chat rooms and players who flood chat rooms or swear will often find themselves being banned (even although it can sometimes be more entertaining than the bingo). However, the thing that fbh reckons get's on online bingo players' wicks the most are bingo players  and chat hosts who constantly use "lol" (short for laugh out loud) at the end of every piece of chat they write.  You know the type: "1tg lol", "just off to make a cuppa lol!", "what time are the free bingo games?-lol".  Are these folks really laughing out loud at the end of every sentence?  Imagine what they must be like in real life if they are laughing out loud everytime they talk (must be a nightmare at a funeral). There must be an epidemic of people who finish off every sentence with a hearty chuckle!  Even worse are those folks who are "rofling" (rolling on the floor laughing) all the time  or lmao (laughing my ass off) or even worse those who are roflmao (rolling on the floor laughing my ass off).  How can they play online bingo and be on the floor rolling around all the time?  So next time you see some rofling or lmaoing too much give them a "rmeni"-rolling my eyes not impressed!            

There have been loads of online bingo ads on tv recently.  Whilst they are of a pretty good standard they don't rank in fbh's top tv ads of the moment.  Fbh reckons that bingo tv ads could do with more humour injected into them like the ads I've selected as being from the current top drawer of TV ads below.  Last year there were some really good online bingo tv ads with lots of new ideas. However, this year we have pretty much seen a rehash of last year's ads and nothing that has been of particular note. Bingo is a fun game with great sense of humour so we'd love to see more of that in the bingo ads. Come on online bingo sites give us Bingo Brits a TV ad we can be proud of! Check my selection below-leave a comment and let me know which is your favourite:

            Barclay Card                                  Virgin Atlantic                    Compare the Meerkat

Imagine travelling to work like this!        FBH is also Hot stuff             Cute meerkat funny accent

Virtue Fusion have recently launched a spectacular new slot game on their network called Marine Mayhem.  The game is just like a regular slot machine but it has the added bonus of giving players the chance to share in a community jackpot every 2 or 3 minutes.  As players spin they are awarded cash prizes in the normal way. However, players are also awarded special marine mayhem points when they spin in 3 or more points symbols on a win line.  Winning points helps the players to move up the community leaderboard and if a player is in a top 10 position when the big community reels go off then they'll get a share of the community cash.  Players should be keen to get as high up the leaderboard as possible: the higher up they are the bigger the share of community cash they'll get.

Freebingohunter thinks Marine Mayhem is a great addition to the world of online bingo games and we think you'll really enjoy playing it! After playing it for a while we realised that there are a few things that players can do to improve their chances of scooping a share of the community pot.  Once you have played the game these tips will make a lot more sense to you:

1. If you enter Marine Mayhem while a game is in progress you should wait until a new game starts before spinning your slot machine.  By spinning as soon as new game starts you make sure that you can manage the same number of spins as other players and give yourself the best chance of being the person with the most marine points.  If you start spinning when the game is already in progress, then it is less likely that you'll move up the leaderboard and win a prize.

2.  Use "Expert Mode": if you click on the expert mode option you can get the slot machine to do all the spins for you, in as fast as time as possible.  By selecting 50 or 100 spins the game will automatically play for you and you'll stand a fair chance.

3.  Make sure you've got a decent internet connection and computer. If your computer starts with a hand crank and you have a dial up internet connection then you'll probably not manage as many spins as the other players.  Why not take the opportunity to upgrade your equipment-you'll find that everything runs a lot better!  

4.  If you like playing on normal slot machines you should give marine mayhem a try.  We think you'll find that your money will last a bit longer on this slot machine than normal ones and therefore you'll enjoy the game more.

You can play Marine Mayhem at Mecca Bingo, Bet365 Bingo, Williamhill Bingo and JackpotCity Bingo. If you pick one that you've never played at before then you'll also pick up a tasty sign up bonus!

Foxy Bingo have just launched a new multi-million pound advertising campaign, with the tag-line "He's Back!".  There's TV adverts, radio space and futuristic electronic posters showing Foxy returning back with a £1 million bingo prize! But the important question we want to know is, where has Foxy been? Gambling, drinking and visiting ladies of the night, according to this TV advert!  Bearing a striking resemblance to Foxy, this smooth operator seems to be wowing the ladies.  Is it just me, or is this Foxy slightly cooler? Incidently, the beer being advertised here is called Cascade, with the company behind Foxy Bingo called Cashcade! Coincidence? We think not!

 

A bingo site can't consider itself a true bingo site unless it features a player's recipe tucked away somewhere in their community section.  And although these are never read, and purely there to tick the 'community' box, we thought we'd write up our own Free Bingo Hunter recipe on how to create a typical bingo promotion. Ingredients: A diary (preferably 2009's - although not necessary) Lots of Bonus Points (BPs) - After all, they don't cost anything anyway! A designer A technician A book on bingo puns A list of LAST month's promotions

Recipe:

1. Look at today's date.  Are there any special dates happening, such as Valentines Day, Burns Night, the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall etc.   If not, check the TV times for an Eastenders special. 
2. Now you have your theme!  Next, you'll need to choose your promotion.  If this is your first time, go with a prize draw, or give away bonus points.  You can't go wrong with bonus points.  If you're stuck, give away a Spa Day.
3. You then need to decide on when you want to run your promotion.  This is normally decided on several important marketing factors (i.e. when is the designer on lunch, and can you find someone available who isn't in a meeting to send an actual e-mail).
4. Remember to tell affiliates (or skip this, if you'd rather go home early)
5. Speak to one of the technical team, to get your new promotion released on site. (They're the ones with inhalers and Battlestar Gallactica T-shirts).
6. Voila!  Your bingo promotion is ready.  Now let it simmer on a low-gas until the weekend.  After all, that's when the most people are playing bingo.  Trust me.  Someone in the pub told me that.

In a recent UK poll, British peeps have voted Nigella Lawson and Sean Connery as the sexiest celebrity voices.  The celebrity chef and ex-Bond star beat Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp to the top spots.  The most annoying voices, according the poll, went to comedian, Joe Pasquale, and motor-mouth, Janet Street-Porter. This poll got us at FreeBingoHunter HQ thinking about our favourite bingo callers voices.  Some of the bingo sites have chosen celebrities to be their callers; with Crown Bingo choosing ex-Big Brother housemate, Alison Hammond and Mecca Bingo giving you TV presenter, Brian Dowling.  Gala Bingo famously used Sharon Osbourne to call in one of their rooms, and Sun Bingo recently had the I'm A Celebrity contestants calling their numbers! So I've created a wish-list of potential topical callers I'd love to see on our bingo sites.  Obviously, we'd love to hear Nigella and Sean belting out the numbers, but here's a few extras we'd love to hear.  How about Cheryl Cole's love-rat boyfriend, Ashley, calling "56, Was she worth it!".  And we can imagine Bruce Forsyth reading out the call "number 5, man alive!" When not swearing, Gordon Ramsay would make a great caller.  With his high-profile indescretions in 2008, we're thinking "43, Down on Your Knee's" may not be appropriate!  And finally, now he's finished his community service, ex-Culture Club front-man, Boy George would be available to call those numbers, "54, Clean That Floor, George!". And if you have any better suggestions, please let us know!..

As 2008 comes to an end, it's that time where everybody seems to reminisce about everything that's happened over the last year.  Turn on any TV channel and you're bound to find a programme where D-list celebs chat about the bests and worsts of that year; anything from Most Annoying Pop Song, to World's Best Celebrity Chef.

So never wanting to disappoint (or break from the pack!), we've also created our FBH alternative awards for the best and worst of everything Bingo-related in 2008!

Best Bingo Drama 2008: Sun Bingo Split from Tombola
In September this year, the UK's biggest bingo site, Sun Bingo left it's parent company, Tombola to go out and be a bingo site of its own.  So when they split, all eyes were on to see which site would be the most successful!  Tombola has the site, games and software that people were already using, whereas Sun Bingo has the cash, bigger development team, and newspaper reaching over 3 million people!

The battle was huge and mega amounts of money and prizes were given away, which resulted in them both securing a daily player base of over 5,000 players!

Best Bingo Celebrity 2008: Keith "Cheggers" Chegwin
Everyone's favourite (and definitely not at all annoying!) UK day-time TV celebrity, Keith Chegwin!



Best Bingo Promotion 2008: Win a House with Daily Mail Bingo!
Simply sign-up with your details at Daily Mail Bingo and you'll be entered into a prize draw...

Most Confusing Bingo Promotion 2008: Win a House with Daily Mail Bingo!
...for the chance to be in a semi-final of top 30 Daily Mail Bingo players, who then must spend pounds, which then equals points, which then gets you into the Top 5 Final, where you then buy more cards, which give you double points, which then (yeah, even I'm confused! Who get's the house? And do I care?)

Most Random Sign-Up Bingo Bonus 2008: Digital Clock/Calculator from Shipley's Bingo
How many times have you been woken up by your morning alarm, and suddenly thought "I've got a big sum to do! wish I had a calculator!"?  Well, if that really is you, then frankly you need to get out more, but you can sign up to Shipley's Bingo, where you'll get a free calculator-cum-alarm-clock combo!

Happy New Year and have a great 2009!